Creating a winning job search broadcast message - Part 1

You need every possible resource working for you while searching for your next job. One such resource is the broadcast message you use to describe yourself and the kind of job you are looking for as you seek out a specific job opportunity. Similar in concept to effective business advertizing, your broadcast message should be working on your behalf even when you’re not there in person. This general message is used to broadcast your availability and value to those that are looking for someone like you. It should be sufficiently brief and simple so that it can be used easily by your friends and networking contacts to pass on your message to others. Your broadcast message, however, is only intended to help you discover possible jobs. Once you uncover a specific opportunity, you will then want to create a message specifically targeted to the needs of that opportunity.

 

The concept of a broadcast message is usually discussed using terms which are more commonly used when marketing to businesses: developing a sales elevator pitch, unique selling proposition, value proposition, or brand.  While high tech workers in sales, marketing or business development are experienced with such concepts to successfully sell products and services to business customers, they may not have thought of how to adapt these ideas when “positioning” their own personal talents to sell into the “market” of high technology employers. The majority of high technology workers in other functional areas, such as engineers, HR specialists, or support specialists may not only be unaware of the specifics of these business market concepts but might also be uncomfortable with the idea of using them to market themselves beyond their personal, direct control. 

The keys to a successful broadcast message are:

• Be willing to advertize yourself – Spread the word of what you’re looking for even when you’re not personally working on your job search. Your selection of message, style and media can be bold or understated elegant to fit your style, but you must start with a first step of personal self-confidence in order to broadcast your availability.
• Be targeted – Include words in your broadcast message that connect to job titles or job roles that the vast majority of professionals would understand without any additional explanation. Look to subsequent posts in this series for additional discussion of how to apply targeted broadcasting. It’s better to broadcast a smaller set of well-understood capabilities than a broader set of capabilities that are vaguely understood, overly complex or not perceived as well connected to each other.
• Be succinct – While there are many ways to send out your broadcast message, getting your friends and ever-extending network of general contacts to carry your broadcast message on your behalf can be a very powerful way to be introduced to job opportunities. While your personality and positive attitude may motivate your network to help you, you can help them to be effective on your behalf if you give them a simple and easy to memorize way to talk about you to their friends and contacts.
• Be convicted – It is less important that your broadcast message be absolutely unique or catchy than it is you believe in your message and in the person the message describes—yourself! Even if you discover there’s a number of very experienced professionals that have skills similar to yours, choose to broadcast a capability and job role about which you are most passionate. Broadcast your choice it as if no one else is as passionate and confident about that choice as you are.